


To Help a Merman

by eyes_closed_at_night



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: A little angst, Action, M/M, MerStory, Mermaids, Merman smut will be a thing in future chapters, Mermen, Rating May Change, Romance, merfluff, merkisses, our boys fall in love as mermen, viktor helps yuuri heal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-08-31 23:47:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8598664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyes_closed_at_night/pseuds/eyes_closed_at_night
Summary: Yuuri is a merman who runs into trouble. Viktor is the one who comes for him. Sometimes, the healing process isn't easy, even with sea creatures.Mermen Romance AU!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I don't own Yuri!!! on Ice. 
> 
> I've read through this so many times my eyes can't pick up on any more mistakes so if you see any, please forgive me! Hope you enjoy ; )

A flash of gray. The swish of tails. Shadows obscuring the sunlight that filtered through the ocean.

 

_Predators._

 

Yuuri sensed them before he heard them. The sudden stillness of the water was a dead giveaway to something being wrong. In an instant it seemed, all the schools of fish that had been playing above of him were gone and the once vibrant sea floor creatures had either camouflaged themselves or had gone to hide. Nothing that could be a target was out in the open. Except for _him._

 

In the seconds that followed his startling realization, Yuuri fled. Immediately, the predators chased after him and he cursed his mistake. His hasty retreat had caught the attention of all them and he had no other mer around to help him.

 

Frantically pumping his tail fin to generate as much speed as he could, Yuuri’s mind was screaming at him to go _faster faster faster_ to avoid becoming a meal. The open expanse of ocean in front of him said he had nowhere to hide, but he kept swimming. Instinctively, he began to emit high-pitched calls to alert any other mers within hearing range of his distress.

 

Even as he made his calls, Yuuri knew he was too far away from any pods to have a chance of any surprise interventions.

 

The smattering of scales coating his forearms began to turn a bright red in stark contrast to his increasingly pale tail. It was a part of his body’s fight or flight response to the danger he was facing. Like the rest of his kind, his scales changed color to become an intimidating display when confronted with any possible threats.

 

Usually, Yuuri managed to avoid any conflicts with attackers with his threatening scales, but he knew they would have little effect on a pack of hungry hammerhead sharks.

 

The frantic merman chanced a glance behind him and let out a yelp when he saw that his pursuers hadn’t let up. In fact, the distance between them was rapidly closing. His wagging tail was only a short stretch away from the snatching jaws of particularly fast hammerhead.

 

A blind panic clouded all of his senses and for a moment, he almost stopped dead in his desperate escape from the sheer amount of terror that gripped his heart.

 

Was this how it was going to end for him?

 

In the bellies of hungry hammerhead sharks?

 

Further and further he swam, until he began to reach dimming waters. Here, the sunlight’s rays couldn't hope to penetrate the surface.

 

After swimming for what felt like an eternity, Yuuri almost wept from joy as he began to see what looked to be the mouth of a small cave.

 

He had no idea how deep the cave went or if he would be able to squeeze himself into it, but nonetheless he quickly darted inside.

 

He realized when he entered the cave that even with his sleek body, he was much too big. Almost immediately after forcing himself into the jagged opening, he felt a dull wave of pain followed by the sensation of his scales being scraped off.

 

The agony didn't fully register in Yuuri’s mind as he continued to swim away to safety, but the tendrils of red that followed him did.

 

Still, he didn't spare a moment to examine his injuries or glance to see if his pursuers had found a way to follow him.

 

Inside the cave, there were only schools of small, dark colored fish. They swam around and away from him as he exhaustedly glided down in.

 

Over the sound of his pulse thudding in his ears, he could hear what sounded like the hammerheads slamming themselves against the mouth of the cave, too big to enter but still furious about their escaped meal.

 

His shoulder brushed against the cave’s rock walls as he involuntarily began to lean against them. Leaning on a rough surface and trying to swim proved to be a bad idea when he felt his skin chafe.

 

Tiredly lifting himself off the wall, his eyes struggled to stay open as he came to a gradual halt to assess his surroundings.  

 

The cave itself was pitch black, but his enhanced deep sea vision made it possible to see. The cavern was made of cylindrical, medium-sized rock walls with large, round rocks at its floor. It didn’t look like a cave as much as did a hall. It obviously led to something so Yuuri continued his way in.

 

Both the rocks and the walls were various shades of red, brown, and plant-covered green that meshed together. Craning his head, he speculated that the cave possibly had a high roof, but he didn't bother to check it. He kept his aquatic, webbed ears perked, and occasionally flicked them in the direction of any possible noises.

 

The vibrations from the hammerheads’ hits had disturbed the calm behavior of the fish, but other than that the hall was untroubled. As he swam, his blood never stopped seeping from his sides as a entire sections of his damaged scales precariously hung from his body, some detaching and fluttering to the rocks beneath him.  

 

When he reached the end of the hall, he saw there were multiple openings to other caverns. They were larger and seemed to lead to more populated areas so he hurriedly chose the most obscured looking cavity. Here, its entrance was smoother and more hidden from other fish.

 

Yuuri’s eyes regarded the cave, the tired brown orbs momentarily lighting up when he saw that this cave had both round rocks and large slabs of flat rock at its floor, the kind perfect for bedding.

 

To ensure there weren't any more threats in sight, Yuuri peered out the cave’s entrance to do a quick yet thorough check in and around his new spot. Once he deemed the area safe from predators or any disturbances, he collapsed in a heap on a flat rock.

 

Without any adrenaline dimming his senses, he began to feel the full force of his body's pain. By now, his forearm scales had slowly reverted back to their normal shade of lapis blue. His level of  exhaustion would have sent him to sleep, but he was kept awake by the sheer agony he felt from his aching sides. Looking down, he gingerly felt along the sides of his bleeding form with his webbed hands.

 

He began to whimper through clenched, sharp teeth when he saw the long scratches that spanned from his flanks down to the end of his tail. The small fins in the middle to the sides of his tail were especially injured. Normally, they flared from his sides to help him with maneuverability, but now, they were bloody and almost completely tucked into their indentation. They must have caught on the cave’s sharp entrance walls.

 

It would take weeks for his body to recover. The fact that he had no food in his belly would slow down the process, as he had no nutrients to feed from or energy to go hunt. Even worse, he was worn out from not only his chase but also from his previous travels.

 

How had his day come to this?

 

Well, Yuuri’s morning had started out peacefully enough. He had woken up from a small nap in a pile of soft sand nestled into a large rock formation. It had been big enough to hide him from predators, but he knew he only had a limited amount of time to rest if he wanted to stay safe.

 

Prior to his nap, he had been swimming for two days straight with only the occasional break. As usual, he had no real destination in mind because he swam for the fun of it. He figured he was bound to find a safe enough place to rest for a longer time so he hadn't been too worried about his lack of sleep.

 

It also wasn't uncommon for him to travel on an empty belly since he was the only one hunting for himself. Without a mate or a pod, he didn’t have anyone else to rely on.

 

Although swimming alone in the ocean across long distances was dangerous, Yuuri loved nothing more than to just glide through the water, undisturbed. His pod never understood why he was so uncomfortable swimming with their large group, but they let him be.

 

The dark haired mer knew he was shy, and that shyness wasn't often a trait found in mers, especially mermen, but he couldn't help it. He loved his pod mates dearly, but most of the time he preferred to be by himself.

 

Even if being by himself meant he would feel lonely.

 

As soon as he was of age to leave his pod by himself, he started to disappear for weeks on end, just swimming through long stretches of the sea, encountering all kinds of fish and plant-life in the process. He would just twirl and slide so gracefully, cutting through the water effortlessly.

 

Yuuri had a beautiful way of swimming, even if he didn't realize it. During his travels, he had met other mers who had expressed a subtle interest in his style. Of course, he hadn't been able to recognize the signs because he lacked some social skills. This was because he had isolated himself from most of the other mers in his pod, while they had been learning how to read social cues through their interactions with each other.  

 

His looks had also caught the attention of a number of mers from the different pods he had encountered. They saw his curiously short hair, so different from their own long locks, and his gentle brown eyes and immediately knew he was something special.

 

Alas, nothing had ever come from those encounters as Yuuri had the tendency to leave an area if he thought there were too many mers. Considering the fact most mers lived in medium to large sized groups, he left pods often.

 

His day had taken a turn for the worst when he had stopped to search the sea floor for colorful shells. Throughout his extensive traveling, the gentle mer had amassed quite the collection of shells and he always seized the opportunity to find more. His irresponsibility had allowed the hammerheads to catch him by surprise when he had no one to help him. The last pod he had seen was over a day’s swim away and his calls were useless.

 

His hobby had cost him dearly when he let it become a priority over his own safety. A merman’s scales were a precious thing and he had ruined good portion of them due to his carelessness. His tail would now ache every time he would try to swim for the next week at least.  

 

Yuuri cursed his own stupidity through his whimpers. In a vain attempt to heal the most superficial scars, he coated his hands in his healing saliva and gently pressed them to his injuries.

 

After repeating this process several times, the bleeding stopped and the pain dulled from a fierce burn to a faint pulse.

 

With his body sufficiently numbed, Yuuri tried to arrange his tail into a curl to fall asleep. His moving threatened to bring the pain back so he quickly gave up and settled for staying stretched out.

 

It took only a few minute for him to drift into a pained sleep.

….

 

Quite a distance away, the most popular and talented merman of several pods was laughing at the tail work of a particularly sassy merboy.

 

“Ahh, Yuri! How excellent!” Viktor, the popular merman, clapped his hands in delight at young Yuri’s maneuvers. The older man was resting his weight on one muscular arm as he laid out on an underwater rock.

 

The youth was scowling at Victor, spitting curses in his head as he tried to replicate the complicated combat moves the other mer had shown him. He was the best evader in pod’s age range and he never let anyone forget it.

 

“Argh!” Yuri grunted as he continued, his blond brows furrowed in concentration as he worked his silver tail. Other colorfully-tailed mermen and merwomen lounged around the pair, playing and watching with each other.

 

Although Viktor looked to be the picture of a jovial, relaxed mer, he was anything but. He couldn’t help but flick his webbed ears every few seconds to see if he would hear anymore distress calls.

 

Had he heard them? He seemed to be the only one who had, judging from the lack of anyone saying anything.

 

He thought they were mer calls for help, but he was too unsure. Whoever had made them was extremely far away and he didn’t know if he wanted to make the journey just to find out they weren’t from a mer at all.

 

It had been a while since any alarmed noises had hit his ear drums, but that only made him feel restless. What if they _were_ mer cries and he was ignoring his fellow mer in their time of need?

 

As Yuri finished his routine, Viktor made his decision. He didn’t want to attract the attention of any other mers as he made his departure from the pod so he bided his time until he could slip away. Just in case they weren’t mer cries, Victor didn’t want to bring anyone else with him and possibly put them in danger.

 

The gray haired merman laughed and played with his fellow mers until he felt it was the right time to leave. Under the excuse of returning to his cave, Viktor left through the back entrance of the cave and hurried in the direction of where he had first heard the calls.

 

He hoped he would be there in time just in case it was a desperate mer since he had waited so long to leave.

 

Unbeknownst to him, a furious blond merboy was watching him go.

 

“That idiot! Where does he think he’s going when he’s supposed to be teaching me tomorrow morning?” Narrowing his eyes, Yuri waited until Viktor was a dot in the distance before following him.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Yuri!!! on Ice
> 
> TW for possibly excessive blood mentions?

Yuuri awoke to his bones aching. As he tried to sit up as painlessly as he could, he winced when he felt how stiff his tail was. Looking down at it, he noticed his scales hadn't healed much, but they had reverted back from their pale hue to their normal lapis color.

  
Thankfully, his wounds hadn’t opened during his rest, but his saliva had dissolved into his skin, as did its numbing effect. Cringing at the stinging pain he was beginning to feel, he started to recoat his injuries.

  
He felt lightheaded from the amount of blood he had lost. His vision was fuzzy, but he shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He didn't know how long he had been asleep since he didn't have any light in the cave, but he figured at least a couple hours.

  
When he finished reapplying his saliva, he jolted as he realized he had forgotten to check on the small fins to the sides of his forearms. The mer dropped his head to look at his the half-forgotten fins and sighed with relief when he saw that they were unscathed.  
  
His relief ended when his stomach decided to remind him how empty it was. It clenched and rumbled uncomfortably, begging him for food. Taking a shaky breath, Yuuri pushed off his rock and slowly swayed to the mouth of his cave.

  
As he was passing through the opening, memories of the hammerheads chasing him began to play over and over in his mind. Squealing, he abruptly pulled himself back inside. He peaked his head out of the cave to check for any creatures. He couldn’t detect any but that didn’t assuage the rising panic he felt in his chest.

  
Jerking to the side, he pressed himself against the wall adjacent to the cave’s mouth as his upper body began to shake uncontrollably. He stayed absolutely still for a moment as he listened for anything outside. Although he still couldn’t detect anything, he suddenly had the feeling that he was in great danger.

  
He couldn’t bear to be so near to the cavern’s entrance so he dove into the deepest recesses the cave had to offer, which wasn't much. The space was a shallow indentation in a wall with dark sand peeking out of the rocks at its base. The scared mer rested his tailbone on the sand as his slender hands curled at the wrists into his chest. He stared at the cave’s entrance with wide eyes.

  
On some level, Yuuri knew he was behaving irrationally, but he couldn't force himself to calm down. A switch was being flipped in him; he was entering panic mode. In that instant, all he could feel was a growing sense of _fear._

  
It was becoming so potent about him that he could have tasted it. Any security he previously felt about the obscured position of his cave vanished as he imagined hungry creatures easily fitting through its entrance and attacking him.

  
If any predators were to make their way through the other caves, they would inevitably find him and then he would be _trapped_. Unlike the first entrance that had been difficult to fit into, this cave’s opening was larger and almost effortless to access.

  
He had been lucky escaping the hammerheads, but now, he was injured, tired, and hungry. This combination made him an utterly defenseless target. As this horrible realization hit Yuuri, he began to imagine even more ghastly scenarios involving him and possible attackers.

  
Of course, the location of the merman’s cave was relatively safe, but he couldn’t stop scaring himself long enough to remember and process that fact. Although he couldn’t hear or see any predators, with the amount of fright he felt, they may as well have been circling him.

  
Familiar high pitched cries began to eek out of his mouth but unlike before, he quickly muffled them with his hands. He didn’t want to alert any nearby creatures of his location.

  
Although he wasn't in ice cold waters, the panicking merman felt chills begin to run through his veins. The loss of his blood and the lack of any warm pod mates to cuddle him left him feeling exposed to the elements. The rocks he was pressed against seeped their coolness into his skin, which was beginning to irritate his wounds.

  
Merpeople were extremely social creatures and even as much of an anomaly as the shy mer was, Yuuri was feeling a yearning to cuddle into a cozy pod pile. A pod pile was a large gathering of members of a single pod sleeping side-by-side to generate warmth during cold nights. Pod piles were also good for making sure no one would drift away while they slept, as everyone usually held onto another mer.

  
He remembered cold nights, from when he was just a merboy, where he would tuck his arms into his father’s chest as his mother and sister would be nestled at his back.

  
Yuuri could only wish for the safety and warmth that only his pod could bring him.

  
The solitary mer didn't think he'd ever felt as alone as he did in that moment.

  
He was days away from his familial pod and he wouldn’t be able to make the journey to them anytime soon. With a start, he realized that even if he could make it out of his cave, he had no idea where to go. The hammerheads had thrown him completely off course and he didn't remember how to get back to any familiar spots to chart his way home.

  
Despite the pain in his tail, he curled his battered body in on itself.

  
His panic left him feeling awful, but it could not compete with the cold desolation in his heart.

  
Shifting his hands from his mouth to his hair, he curled his arms over his face.

  
Without his mouth covered, Yuuri’s cries unwillingly fell through clenched teeth.

  
….

  
“So you followed me.” Viktor stated as he continued to swim. His long and muscular coral-green tail propelled him forward with each strong flick. He’d known about his little stalker for quite some time, but he hadn’t stopped to confront him. He was anxious about the calls so he didn't want to take time away from finding their source.

  
He was smiling, but it was not mirthful. His lips were pulled over his teeth in a display of irritation at the merboy trailing him.

  
Yuri grit his teeth and flapped his tail harder to match the other male’s swift pace.

  
“You're supposed to be training me! You promised and you think you can just leave the pod after you begin?!”

  
The two mers were going quite fast, but only one knew where their path would lead. Hours of high speed swimming had cut the distance between the pod and where the noises could be, but Viktor was almost starting to doubt his sense of direction. There hadn’t been another sound in some time and he didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. Beside him, Yuri fumed about at the thought of the older mer trying to shirk his part of their agreement.

  
The older male still didn’t know if he was tracking mer cries and now he wasn’t sure if whatever had made the sound would do it again.

  
He also didn't know what to do about Yuri. He thought about letting the boy stay with him and possibly show him action outside of practice fights, but that had the potential to be dangerous if he came across any powerful sea animals. He would be able hold his own quite well, but despite all the merboy’s skill, he was still inexperienced to the dangers of interspecies’ fights.

  
Or, he could try to send the boy home. However, that itself could pose a whole new array of dangers, since Viktor wouldn't be able to go back with him. Sending an unaccompanied and underaged mer across the distance they had just swam would be a foolish thing to do. Plus, Yuri had most likely left the pod without permission. Even if he did make the journey back, he would be punished as soon as he returned. Weighing his options, the graceful mer made a noise in the back of his throat and turned to his companion.  
  
“Ehh, who said I was going back on my promise? And who gave you permission to leave the pod?” Viktor questioned as his eyes narrowed. The merboy only scoffed.  
  
“Well, I might take a little while so you should go head back while you still can. You might even be able to slip in if you don’t let anyone catch you.” Both mers knew it was useless to try to force the boy to go back, but Viktor felt compelled to at least try. Besides, considering how long they had already been gone, it was impossible for someone to not have noticed the silver tailed mer’s absence. Yuri had missed his window to slip back into the pod unnoticed hours ago.

  
“Tch! If I go back to the pod, then you’re coming with me!” The small mer angrily snapped his teeth at the other male’s shoulder. He didn’t plan on letting his would-be mentor out of his sight until he got the training he was promised. Also, by this point, he was quite curious to see where the merman’s lengthy swim would lead them.

  
“You really should go back. Yakov might start looking for you and what will you do then?”

  
Suddenly, both mers heard the sound of distressed yells. They were unbelievably close and sounded serious. Viktor knew without a doubt that they were sounds being made by the same thing from before. He could tell they were from a merperson. He felt extreme relief that they was still alive, but he now was more worried than ever about what kind of danger they were facing to emit such noises.

  
Dashing in the direction of the utterances, he didn’t wait for his companion to catch up. He forced his body to go faster, his elegant tail slicing through the water as he searched for the desperate mer.

  
Behind him, the boy had also realized the cries were from a suffering merperson. His eyes widened as he realized why Viktor had left the pod so abruptly.

  
“Who is that?” Yuri yelled, as he struggled to follow behind the quick merman. He was totally unfamiliar with the dark waters they were in.

  
Before they could be confronted by any danger, Viktor took the opportunity to fall back to swim side-by-side with Yuri. For once, he looked entirely serious. Placing his hand on the boy’s back, he tried to convey how grave he was.

  
“I don’t know what’s about to happen, but if anything goes wrong, swim away. Don't even think about trying to fight. Swim as fast as you can back to the pod. Don’t stop until you get there.”

  
For a brief second, Yuri’s face was blanketed with his surprise, before his signature scowl returned.

  
“Kh! Don’t get in my way and we’ll be fine.”

  
Viktor would have smiled at the confidence in Yuri’s voice if it didn’t frighten him so much. To leave the pod with a young mer, even unknowingly as he did, and to bring him back dead would be devastating.

  
“I mean it.”

  
….

  
Yuuri heard them coming from a long distance away.

  
_The predators._

  
Multiple. At least two.

  
As soon as he heard them, he had curled into himself even further than before, so tightly that most of his wounds reopened. Blood was seeping from him in alarming amounts but he didn’t bother to reapply his saliva, because he knew there was no point. The predators were coming straight for him. He couldn’t fight or outswim them. There was nowhere for him to go where they wouldn’t be able to follow. He would either die in the cave cowering in the corner or outside the cave in the open.

  
Why try to swim away when he knew it was going to be his end no matter what he did?

  
By now, Yuuri had no hope for his survival so he allowed his instincts to completely take over. A few joyful memories of his pod mates flashed in his mind as red and white struggled to replace his current scale color to present an intimidation display. What little energy he previously had was gone from all his blood loss, so his display was decidedly pathetic.

  
His muffled cries were now full blown whines and yells. The terror-stricken mer’s body was still pressed against the cave wall, but his weakening strength was turning it into more of a lean. His clawed fingers dug into his scalp as he listened to the creatures make their way into the caves.

  
Whatever they were, they were fast and had quickly figured out which cave he was in.

  
Yuuri’s eyes were blown wide open and fixed at the mouth of his cave. With dread, he waited for his fate.

  
He was astonished to see two mermen come barrelling in. They looked fierce and prepared for a fight judging from their outstretched claws and fiery intimidation presentations.

  
Yuuri’s cries were interrupted by the yelp that escaped his lips when he saw how bloodthirsty they looked. He cowered even further into his wall as his eyes darted between the two mers, confused beyond belief.

 

The more muscular merman swiveled his head around the cave as if he were looking for something while his companion stared at Yuuri’s cowering body in exasperated confusion.

  
“Hey, you! What the hell is going on?”

 

The smaller merman’s voice made Yuuri jolt in surprise. His mouth dropped open as the mer began to swim toward him.

  
“St-stay away! G-get away fr-from me!”

 

The injured mer tried to make himself seem as small as possible to avoid the gruff mer reaching him. The larger merman’s eyes were raking over his body, wide and shocked to see the state the frightened merman was in.

  
The shocked mer had a long tail and short gray hair while the other was a blond with a shorter tail and less muscles. Yuuri felt a small part of his sanity return to him as a wave of relief that the creatures who had been looking for him weren't predators crashed over him. However, he was still felt anxious about who they were and why they had been looking for him.

  
Had Yuuri been in his right mind, his eyes might have noticed the gray haired mer’s shock melt into a particularly soft look, as if he thought Yuuri were something to be held and protected. The older merman had one of his pale arms outstretched over the merboy’s chest to stop him from spooking the wounded mer more than he already had.

  
“We heard your calls from a distance aways, so we came to see what was making the sounds. I see that you're injured, may I have a look?” The older mer was now looking at Yuuri with extreme concern in his eyes, but he held back from approaching him when he saw how skittish he was.

  
When Yuuri didn't respond, Viktor tried a different approach.

 

“Hello, I am Viktor and this is Yuri. What is your name?”

  
Although they spoke the same tongue, Yuuri could tell by the way the mers pronounced their words that they weren't from anywhere near his pod. He was slightly surprised that he shared the same name as the other mer, but he didn't dwell on it just yet. Purposely ignoring the last question, he assessed the two mers who floated just a short distance in front of him.

  
He almost felt crowded with them so close, but Viktor’s attempts keep a distance from him made him feel slightly better. He also felt better at the sight of their fading intimidation displays. These two were obviously strong, the older male obviously stronger, judging from how bright red their forearms scales were.

  
When he still hadn't responded alter a few beats of silence, the other Yuri snarled in frustration.

  
“Are you deaf? Speak! Tell us why you were making those sounds, you fool!”

  
Flinching at the merboy's aggression, the black haired mer struggled to get words out as he began to shake even harder than before. He saw Viktor shoot the blond a look before the gentler of the two males began to approach him.

  
“P-please, don’t!” Squeezing his eyes shut, Yuuri wrapped his arms over his sternum as he turned his head to the side.

  
“Shh...it’s alright,” Under his cheek, Yuuri felt the brush of a warm hand. His eyes flew open to look at the mer who was caressing him. Even in the dark and through his fuzzy vision, Yuuri could see that Viktor’s eyes were almost the same shade as his favorite blue seashell. For a moment, the two stared at each other, but then Yuuri began to feel nervous again so he broke eye contact first. He began to recoil away from Viktor’s touch so the other mer retracted his hand as he spoke again.

  
“I've come to help you. I can see that you're badly hurt.” Yuuri's expressive face showed surprise at Viktor's words.

  
“Hah? You came for me?” His voice wasn't loud, but Viktor thought he could hear the gratitude in it.

  
“Yes, I did.”

  
“But...how could you hear me? The last pod I saw is at least a day’s swim away,” Yuuri looked at Viktor as he questioned him.

  
“I originally heard your cries while I was with my pod, which is only a few hours away from here. I left them to see what was making those sounds and Yuri here followed me.”

  
“Oh, well, thank you you two.” Yuuri couldn't help but shyly avert his eyes as he thanked the kind merman and his...interesting traveling companion.

  
“You can pay me back later. Now, can I touch you?” Viktor’s voice was gentle, but his words sent pufferfish spikes of anxiety through the injured mer’s body.

  
“Wha-what?”

  
“Oh, no, not like that. I meant touch as in to stop the bleeding. But I can touch you that way if you want.” Sending the skittish mer a playfully flirtatious smile, Viktor tried to keep the conversation light so he wouldn't freak him out any further.

  
Leaning against the cave's entrance, the merboy’s face was contorted in disgust at what he was witnessing. He thought the merman was pathetic for making such desperate calls when there obviously wasn't any danger, but he did wonder how he had gotten those injuries. Thoughts of the black haired mer losing a fight against another mer crossed his mind, but that also raised other questions.

 

Why would he be fighting another individually? Where was this merman’s pod?

 

  
As Yuri thought to himself, the other Yuuri was completely still as Viktor applied his own healing saliva to his injuries. The male’s saliva was thicker than his own and it thoroughly coated his wounds, numbing them instantly. He was uncomfortable with Viktor touching him so freely despite not knowing him, but he appreciated the male caring for his wounds. The merman's touch would have sent his heart into a flutter of his mind wasn't so focused on the murky water surrounding him.

  
His bleeding had stopped soon after the other male had started his treatment, but he had lost enough blood that it had clouded the water around him.

  
Viktor had also noticed the bloody water so resolved to himself to convince the merman to leave his cave at some point soon. It was only a matter of time before something would find its way to them.

  
After Viktor finished covering his wounds, Yuuri's stomach growled.

  
“Oh! You must be starved. Stay here with Yuri, I'll go and get you some fish!” Without waiting for a response, the gray haired mer started for the mouth of the cave, paused to clap the merboy on the shoulder, and continued to head out of the cave to find food.

  
Yuuri was as shocked as the other Yuri was at Viktor’s abrupt departure. They both looked at the opening the mer had just exited before turning toward each other.

  
Yuuri tried to give the youth a smile but it came out as more of an awkward grimace while the merboy didn't bother to hide his disdain.

  
“You're not going to get in the way of my training.” With that, younger Yuri shot older Yuuri a nasty glare before he exited the cave, ignoring the sound of Yuuri’s confused, “Eh?”

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
